


Connected

by beef_wonder3



Category: DC Comics
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-08
Updated: 2014-08-08
Packaged: 2018-02-12 05:02:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2096730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beef_wonder3/pseuds/beef_wonder3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tim's feeling disconnected. Cassie helps.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Connected

**Author's Note:**

> For: angel_gidget.
> 
> Continuity/Spoilers: Between Robin 183 and Battle for the Cowl

 

Cassie relished the cool air whooshing around her as she flew. It was fairly late and the sky was dark as she flew towards Washington D.C. after an exhausting weekend in San Francisco.

 

Cassie was just glad she didn’t have to keep up any more pretenses. As nice as the older woman was, when Cassie was living with Mrs. Poster she had to be Drusilla at work _and_ at home. It’s been better since she got her own place. It wasn’t much but it was nice to have a place where she could be just Cassie. Being Drusilla at work and being Wonder Girl at _‘work’_ was draining enough.

 

Now Cassie had a place where Drusilla and Wonder Girl could go away and leave Cassie alone. The apartment itself wasn’t spectacular but it was cheap and had all the necessities, as well as a kick-ass security system Tim had installed for her.

 

A few loop-de-loops through the air kept Cassie alert. Sweeping some hair off her face, Cassie grimaced as the gritty powder on her skin shifted. She’d detoured to stop a metal platform falling on a group of graffiti ‘artists’ loitering around a construction site and had gotten a bag of unmixed concrete on her head for her trouble.

 

The D.C city-line came into view and Cassie was eager to get home and get clean.

Cassie weaved around skyscrapers towards her apartment. The apartment was a small, one bed place with two levels. The ground level was bigger but Cassie kept it fairly Spartan. The only decoration was the furniture. She had two couches, one in front of the biggest and only window of the main level, facing the rest of the room, the second couch perpendicular to the first, this one facing the corner of the room, where the TV sat. On the other side, a small kitchen was separated only by a high bench-top and a small, rough wooden table and mismatched chairs filled up the rest of the space. There was a rickety metal staircase leading up to a loft-like platform where Cassie’s bedroom was located, with a bathroom leading off it. There were no walls cutting off the elevated platform from the rest of the apartment, just a big iron railing that wound around the platform edge to join at the staircase.

 

This open plan suited Cassie just fine as it allowed her to enter through the large window in the bedroom and fly straight down to the lower level, to the alarm keypad by the front door. This was what Cassie usually did when she’d been out and about doing the Superhero thing. Cassie landed in front of her door and reached up to punch in the disarm code.

 

Her hand froze mid-way when she realized that the alarm was already off. Adrenaline spiking, Cassie’s eyes flickered to the door’s lock in front of her. Still locked, just like her bedroom window had been, the way she left it. Cassie’s hand twitched down to her lasso attached to her hip.

 

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out.” Said a voice from the staircase behind her.

The tension of the fight immediately left her at the familiar voice. With a half-smile, Cassie turned towards Robin.

 

“Really? That’s a first.”

 

Tim smirked back from where he was sitting on Cassie’s stairs but she could clearly see there was no humor behind it. Walking towards him, Cassie took Tim in. Both Tim and his costume were sooty, blackened smudges streaked across red Kevlar and pale skin. He was slumped over, elbows resting on his knees as he looked back at her.

 

Sitting next to him, her right leg pressed against his left, Cassie asked,

“Tough day?”

Tim’s expression turned sad as he just nodded in reply. Curving her arm around his shoulders, Cassie stroked a bit of hair at his temple. “Wanna talk about it?”

 

Tim was silent for so long, Cassie figured not. Until he started to speak in a low, weary tone,

“It’s just been hard, that’s all. With B… gone, everything’s just getting out of control. And we’re not handling it well. Some of us less than others.”

 

Cassie nodded sympathetically and asked in response,

“And the new fashion statement?”

 

Tim looked at her, confused, so Cassie brought her other hand up and swiped a finger down his cheek and showed him the soot it had collected.

“Oh.” Tim said, the corners of his lips tilting slightly at her joke, before turning somber again, “I got sloppy. Dick and I had a fight this afternoon and I couldn’t stop thinking about it on patrol. I busted a meth-lab and one of the Einstein’s running it thought it’d be a good idea to start shooting at me in an enclosed room full of volatile and flammable chemicals. I barely got everyone out before the whole place went up.”

 

Cassie hugged him closer to her side as Tim went on,

“I just can’t reach him anymore.” He whispered eyes downcast.

“Dick?” Cassie clarified.

 

“Yeah” Tim continued, “I used to be able to talk to him about anything but since Bruce… he’s cut himself off and I can’t reach him. I feel.” Tim hesitated, not used to being so open, “I feel really disconnected right now.” Tim looked at Cassie, the lenses of his mask up, pretty blue eyes shining with emotions Tim rarely showed the world. “But I don’t feel disconnected when I’m with you. Hence why I’m breaking and entering.”

 

Cassie raised an eyebrow at him, trying to lighten the mood even as she hugged him close in comfort,

“Connected? Is that what the kids are calling it nowadays?” She said in a light tone, coaxing the humor out of him.

 

Tim smiled slightly.

Success!

 

With a slight shake of his head Tim replied,

“I don’t mean the sex.” He paused, “Okay, I don’t mean _just_ the sex.” Which made Cassie grin before he continued, “I mean that I can relax with you. I don’t feel the pressure and all the expectations I usually do, when I’m with you all that goes away for a little while.”

 

Cassie smiled softly,

“I know. I get that with you too. We don’t expect anything dire from each other. I get it.”

 

Tim took a breath and opened up more, more than Cassie had thought he could. He must be in an emotional mood to be this chatty.

“And I’m here because I don’t want to lose you. Loose this… thing we have. We’ve worked our guts out just to get to where we are and I want you to know that before the time comes when I can’t leave Gotham. I know it’s going to get _that_ crazy. Crazier than it’s ever been before. And it’s gonna happen soon.” He finished, sounding 20 years older than he should.

 

Cassie cupped Tim’s cheek, her right arm still curved around his shoulders.

“Tim,” Cassie said seriously, “I promise, no matter how little time we have together or however long we go without talking, you will never lose me. Got it?”

 

Tim smiled his small not-smile at her and brushed a stray strand of blonde off Cassie’s face.

“Got it.” He whispered “Thank you.”

 

Tim leaned in as Cassie closed her eyes; the kiss was soft, sweet and comforting.

Pulling back, Cassie rested their foreheads together for a moment before speaking,

“C’mon, let’s both get cleaned up. I think you left some clean clothes here last time we sparred.”

 

“Sparred?” Is that what the kids are calling it nowadays?” Tim played back cheekily making Cassie giggle softly. With one last smile and press of lips both teens stood and headed up the rusty stairs.

 

*

 

“Oh that’s just not right.” Cassie said with a wrinkled nose. Hand feeling her hair, Cassie had to make her patented Wonder Girl Ick-Facetm as the cement and water mixed, making her hair gooey.

 

The shower sprayed over them both, bathing them in a cascade of deliciously heated water. Huffing out a small breath of amusement, Tim picked up Cassie’s shampoo bottle and said,

“Here, turn around. I’ll get it for you.” Cassie complied and turned, she felt Tim begin to slather shampoo into her blonde & white-goo hair.

 

Relaxing at the feel of Tim’s wet, slick chest against her back and the gentle, thorough fingers working her scalp, Cassie sighed in pleasure. Tim tilted Cassie’s head back to wash the shampoo/cement mix out and repeated his actions with the fruity scented conditioner. Once all the conditioner washed away, Cassie turned back around to face him.

 

Trailing her fingertips up his chest, Cassie grinned,

“My turn.”

 

Tim smiled back softly, looking way more relaxed than before. Cassie picked the shampoo bottle up herself as she directed Tim to turn around with one hand on his shoulder.

A quick sliding glance down Tim’s lean, scarred back, Cassie grinned to her-self cheekily before she turned her attention back to the top end of Tim.

 

Ghosting her fingers over the burn marks visible under the short growth, Cassie hesitated,

“You don’t need anything special on this do you?”

Tim shook his head,

“No, it’s mostly healed now. It looks worse than it is. Shampoo should be just fine.”

 

Neither of them spoke again as Cassie worked shampoo suds onto the shorter boy’s head. The silence was comfortable and relaxed between them. Cassie liked that they could have this kind of silence. She wouldn’t even pretend to think she knew everything there was to know about Tim. People only knew as much about Tim as he let them. But still, the comfortable silence stemmed from being with someone familiar, someone safe.

Cassie prided herself with the fact that she still knew Tim more than most. She definitely knew him more… intimately than anyone else did.

 

Fingers methodically threading through black hair, Cassie’s mind wandered, as it sometimes did, to think about their… thing. They didn’t intend to start… this, whatever “this” was. Sleeping together, having sex, fucking…

 

Whatever you wanted to label it; but it helped. There was a connection between them, something delicate, almost intangible. They could try to date properly but neither of them had the time, commitment or energy to devote to a relationship that would need as much work and attention as theirs would.

 

The sex-thing was nice. It worked. It was passion, it was comfort, it was friendship and it was more than an empty release. All of that together, kept them coming back to one another. When Cassie was with Tim, there was no-one to fight, no rage to consume her, no tears were shed alone and no expectations to fail.

 

Since the first time; slow, gentle and burning hot, exactly the way Tim’s first time should be, it was easy to block out the world when they were together. Each time was different, slow and blazing when Cassie had been beaten down too many times, rough and hard when nothing Tim did was _enough_ , fast and desperate when there was just no time. It was different every time. Massaging her conditioner into the longer strands of Tim’s hair, Cassie wondered what tonight was going to be like.

 

*

 

When the last of the soap, soot and grit had been washed away, the young heroes dried each other off quickly, exchanging the occasional kiss or soft trace of fingers over skin.

 

Cassie exited the bathroom and rifled through a drawer, pulling out the clothes Tim had left behind. Tossing the freshly laundered sweatpants and Gotham Knights T-shirt over to Tim, he dressed as Cassie pulled on comfortable pajama pants and a tank top.

 

Tim’s mouth twitched in what might have been amusement as Cassie pulled a comb through her wet tangles. She raised an eyebrow at him,

“What?”

Tim’s mouth twitched again as he replied,

“Nice pants.”

 

Cassie looked down at the soft baby-blue flannel covering her legs, the fabric littered with bright yellow ducks.

“Hey!” She defended, “My ducks are cool.” Tim nodded sagely,

 

“Yeah, I hear ducks are the new black.”

 

Cassie mock-glared at him and showed her superior maturity by sticking her tongue out at him. Privately though, Cassie was really glad Tim had relaxed enough to make jokes and banter with her. That was a very good sign.

 

“Are you tired? D’you wanna go to bed yet?” Cassie asked, taking in the sight of Tim’s weary stance. He thought for a moment and then,

“No, I’m not ready to go to bed yet. Maybe some mindless TV will help.” Cassie nodded in agreement and moved towards the stairs.

 

At the bottom, Cassie headed to the couch facing the TV, grabbed the remote and plopped down on a cushion. When Tim didn’t follow, Cassie looked up to see him standing at the arm of the couch, looking almost… nervous? Cassie tilted her head with a quizzical look on her face.

 

Tim bit his lip,

“Do you think we could maybe,” he looked away “lie down?” Remembering Tim’s earlier emotional layout, Cassie realized he needed as much contact as possible tonight. Her face softened as she agreed,

“Sure.”

 

Lying the length of the couch, she looked up at Tim again and she opened her arms towards him, giving him what he was too proud to ask for openly. Tim climbed onto the couch and onto Cassie. Their legs tangled as Tim rested his head on her chest, face turned towards the TV as his arms curled around her middle.

 

Once they were both comfortable, Cassie turned on the TV, and flipped channels, searching for something. Stopping on a Wendy rerun, Cassie grinned at the annoyed huff she felt on her neck.

“Well I suppose I did say mindless.” Tim grumped.

“Wendy’s not mindless.” Cassie prodded back, “It’s full of metaphors about teenage social issues. Ones we can relate to.”

“Uh huh.” Was Tim’s only response.

 

Falling silent, Cassie let her lethargy draw her into watching Wendy stalk across the screen. Cassie didn’t bother to notice when Tim’s arm shifted. She did however, notice when Tim’s fingers crawled across the hem of her tank top. A small grin curved across Cassie’s face as she pretended to still be absorbed in the fictional blonde’s latest hunt. Kept feigning disinterest in the boy on top of her even when said boy simultaneously wormed fingertips under her top and nuzzled the soft stretch of her neck.

 

Cassie finally gave up her little game, with a giggle as Tim swiped his tongue down her collarbone and nipped at the hollow of her throat, hand splayed wide on her belly. Cassie hit the mute button and tossed the remote away, pulled Tim up to her mouth only to giggle again, into the kiss as Tim wiggled his fingers, tickling Cassie’s tummy.

 

“Is this okay?” Tim whispered against her lips, sliding his hand the slightest bit higher.

 

“Yeah.” Cassie breathed, arching a little in encouragement. Cassie let out a small, contented sigh as Tim’s hand palmed her left breast. Feeling kiss-drugged and warm, Cassie shifted her legs, one curling up around Tim’s hip, the other between his thighs.

 

Tim pulled away from the intoxicating kisses to attack Cassie’s throat with a sensual force, his hand still massaging in gentle circles. Cassie’s breaths became shorter and faster as her nipple hardened into the friction of Tim’s palm, his fingers caressed the swell of her breast. Tim shifted his weight, resting on his elbows and his lower body on the young superhero arching into him.

 

Both of them groaned as Tim’s growing erection pressed into Cassie’s hip. Cassie groaned a second time as Tim slid his other hand up to mirror its mate, cupping her right breast as well. Cassie gasped and arched under the gentle ministrations of Tim’s hands, whimpering as he thumbed both her nipples in perfect symmetry.

 

Abandoning Cassie’s throat, Tim moved downwards, hands still working over Cassie’s, now sensitive, chest. He continued to kiss and nip at the exposed skin of her abdomen, where his arms had shifted her tank top up.

 

Cassie moaned,

“Up.” Shoving slightly at Tim’s shoulders. Tim complied easily, he removed his hands and knelt up as Cassie sat up too, both out of breath. Cassie looked at Tim and asked seriously,

“Are you sure you want this tonight?”

 

“Yes I want this.” Tim replied with an earnest smile. He kissed her again, trailing his lips over her cheek, to her ear to whisper heatedly, “I want you. Tonight. Now. Always.”

 

Cassie nodded once and swept her tank top over her head and onto the floor before giving Tim’s t-shirt the same treatment. Cassie smiled, almost shyly and pulled Tim into another heated, eager kiss. Dragging him down with her as she laid back down, Tim’s hands already back on her chest.

 

*

 

Cassie felt hot and restless as her hands explored Tim’s torso. The air between them so humid, panting breaths between kisses was all the oxygen she could drag in.

 

The heat in her belly flared high as Tim closed his lips around her sensitive left nipple, already much abused from Tim’s fingers and palm. Tim flicked his tongue over the helpless nipple again and again before sucking lightly.

 

Sparks spread across Cassie’s body, generated from where Tim’s mouth met her skin, targeting the deep throb between her legs, as Tim kissed, licked, sucked and worshipped her flesh. Sounds fell out, unrestrained from Cassie’s mouth, getting louder the more intense the heat became.

 

Cassie rolled her hips up, desperately seeking friction, which elicited a quiet groan from Tim as Cassie’s hips pressed up into his hardness. Tim wasn’t a loud person nor was he a loud lover. Every sound he made was a victory for Cassie. Cassie rubbed her flat palms down his back to grip Tim’s ass, holding hips still as she thrust up again. She delighted in the choked moan Tim made around her flesh, because, well, Cassie liked to win.

 

Capturing her lips again, Tim ground his hips down as Cassie pushed hers up. Pulling away slightly with a gasp, Tim panted as Cassie circled her hips in tight, little movements. He pulled away completely, making Cassie squawk in protest. Kneeling on the couch over Cassie, Tim pushed hair off of his sweaty forehead. Cassie frowned up at him in confusion, resting up on her elbows. Tim’s cheeks were flushed red and he was already shiny with sweat. He looked utterly debauched, which made Cassie want to pounce on him.

 

Her confusion must have shown as Tim smiled and held out his hand saying,

“I think I’m ready to go to bed now.”

 

*

 

Cassie cried out as the white-hot pulses blazed through her body. Back arched, head thrown back, hands twisted in her own long hair as she continued to move through the bliss. Tim’s hands gripped her hips hard as he thrust into her, his body tense, teetering on the edge of his own release.

 

Rocking along with Tim’s movements, Cassie extricated her hands from her head, where she often kept them when it all felt too much. After all, she couldn’t break herself.

 

Cassie loomed over Tim, peppering his face with kisses, whispering to him,

“That’s it. C’mon baby, just let it go. Let me see you, just like that.” Cassie was no porn-star and could never talk truly dirty, she always felt a little silly doing so. But her words of encouragement were enough to drag Tim over the edge, muscles locked tight, gasping for air.

 

As the after-glow started to settle over them, they exchanged half-hearted, exhausted kisses and Cassie lifted herself off Tim and flopped down onto the tangled sheets of her bed next to him. Cassie wrestled the duvet up from where it had been kicked as Tim disposed of the condom. Once they settled back down, trying to catch their breath, Cassie latched her limbs around Tim.

 

The small almost laughter from him made Cassie raise her head from where it had been cuddled between Tim’s neck and shoulder.

“Hmmm?” She enquired.

 

“I can never get over it,” Tim explained playfully, “Big, Bad Wonder Girl likes to snuggle.” Cassie scrunched her nose in a small annoyed gesture,

 

“Pfff! Shut up, you love it and you know it.” Tim’s only reply was a kiss. Then another and another.

 

Cassie was just glad all the same, it wasn’t often Tim allowed her to cuddle him. Usually only right after sex or when there were tears and sobbing involved. Cassie always preferred the former.

 

“Can you stay?” Cassie asked in a whisper, brushing the tip of her nose over Tim’s in an intimate gesture.

 

“Yeah, I’ll stay” Tim whispered back, “I have to go back in the morning though, there’s so much to do.”

 

Afraid Tim’s good mood would fall away, Cassie shushed him,

“Shhh,  let’s get some sleep. You can think about it tomorrow. Let’s just be here tonight.”

 

An almost content smile graced Tim’s lips as he agreed,

“Okay, tomorrow.”

 

Mollified, Cassie snuggled back down into Tim’s arms; both teens relaxed enough to welcome sleep without trouble for the first time in long, crazy weeks.

 

Fin.


End file.
